Improvement



WILLIAM IIIcIIoLs.v h Improvement in Car Couplings. Ndl 115,507, PaIenIed II/Iay3o,Ia7I.

I Wit-I1 ess as.; Y I Inventor.

2 Sheets-Sheet 1.-

" WILLIAM N|cHoLs. S- t -lm`prvement inflar Couplings@ NO. 5,507. u PatentedrMay 30,1871."

Figi,

fend, are two studs, c, which it into corre- Unrrnn SIA'rns L P Afrniv*rk Genres.,

" wILLIAIiI nIcIIoLs, or CENTRALIA, ILLINOIS.

`iMenovEivnaNr IN AR-coutume.

`Speeiiication forming part` of Letters Patent No. 115,507, dated May 30, 1871. l

To allwhom it mayconcemf Beit known that JI, WILLIAM NICHOLS, of

Centralia, in the county of Marion and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and 'useful `Improvements in Gar-Couplings; and jdo hereby declare that the following is a full,

clear, and exact description of the saine, reference being `hadto`the accompanying drawjin-g making-a `part of thisspeciiication, in

`Which` i Figure 1 is a sideelevation ot' iny improved t device; Fig.y 2 is a horizontal section of the saine on theline m wtofFig. 1; Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinalsection on `the line y y of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is`- a vertical cross-section on the line a a of Figs.11,x2, and-3; and Fig. 5 is 1 a perspective view of the couplingpin.

Letters ofy like nameand kind refer to like parts in each of thetigures.

As car-couplings are .usually constructed the brakesman, in coupling together cars, is

required to raise the linkconnected with one y draw-bar, and `guideits end into the mouth of the opposite head, whichoperation is attended with great-dan ger, and causes frequent injury to the operator.

" To remove allhability gto danger from such cause,` and render the operation of coupling together carsentirelysafe, is the object of my invention, which consists in the construction and opera-tion ot' the devices used for sustaining the linkin a horizontal position,

substantially as is hereinafter shown and described.

In the annexed drawing, A represents the draw-bar, provided with a vertical longitudinal slot, B, for:` containing the coupling-pin t C, and with a horizontal longitudinal slot, D,

forthe reception of the link E, said latter slot i being pro-vided with a aring or vbell-shaped mouth, and having a vertical depth equal to about twice the thickness of said link, Ex-

` `tending horizontally outward from opposite sides of the couplingpin G, near its upper sponding vertical grooves, b, cut within op- .posit'esides of the slot B,near its forward end, and hold the head or upper end of said end-of said `pin,forivvhichjmotion the studs furnish axial bearings. A chain, F, secured to and extending upwardfroin the upper end of the coupling-pin, furnishes a means whereby the latter may be raised, its upward movement being limited by a plate, A', extending across the upper end of the slot B, and its downward Vmovement by the slots b, which i extend downward to a sufficient distance only to permit the lower end of said pin to pass through the draw-bar.

As thus arranged the coupling-pin remains suspended upon the studs and against the front end of the slot B, except when a link is introduced into thedraw-bar, in which event the lower end of` said pin swings rearward, until'theend of the link has passed the same,

when it swings forwardto its former position` and-locks said link in place. When unsupported, the forward or outer end of the link drops downward until below the opening within the opposite draw-bar, in which position it would be impossible for said link to enter the same.

In order that the link may be adjusted to and secured in the necessary position, a slot, Gr, corresponding in vertical depth and position with the slot D, is cut transversely through the draw-bar, atv and in rear of the conpling-pimlso as to permit a-wedge, H, to be inserted beneath the link, and press the same upward against the upper-side of its slot. Being thus held in a horizontal position, the link readily enters the opposite drawbar, after which the wedge, being no longer required, is caused to drop out from its slot by making its outer end sufficient-ly heavy to be readily affected by the jar oi' the cars while in motion.

By this construction of a car-coupling, the links may be adjusted so that, without further attention, any desired number of ears shall be .coupled-by simply backing them together,

and, While possessing this advantage, its cost i is not materially increased.

Having thus fully set forth the nature and merits of my invention, what I claim as new is AThe wedge Il, in combination with the linkv- E and with the draw-bar A, constructed as described, and provided with the transverse slot G, substantially as and for the purpose speciied.

. WILLIAM NICHOLS. 

